Marketing for Australian solar installers · Owner-operator and EPC firms
Solar marketing scored on installs booked, not site-visit forms.
Solar has the most expensive paid clicks in Australia. 'Solar leads australia' pays $70-plus per click, and 80 percent of the leads installers buy never become installs. The number that pays is the install booked, not the form filled. We connect OpenSolar, SolarPlus, GreenLancer, or HubSpot back to the ad platforms so Google Ads optimises against scheduled installs, not enquiries that drift away when the customer compares quotes.
30 min · No pitch · Senior operator on the call
Engagement intake, currently open
Owner-op + EPC
Australian solar installers, residential-and-commercial. Owner-operator and EPC firms, not retailers reselling installs.
2 weeks
Solar Tracking Audit. Diagnostic with written prioritised fix list.
4–6 weeks
Solar Profit Setup. Full measurement rebuild and CRM connection.
How we work solar installers marketing
Four principles for solar marketing.
Principle 01
Install booked, not site-visit form
Most solar marketing reports the form-fill count and the cost-per-lead. The number that pays the installer is the install booked. We connect the design and CRM software to the ad platforms so Google Ads and Meta optimise against scheduled installs, not enquiries that disappear after the second quote.
Principle 02
Lead-gen partners are paid channels
Most solar businesses buy leads from third-party lead-gen co's (SolarQuotes, GreenMatch, Energy Matters, Choice). The leads cost real money and the conversion-to-install rate varies widely by source. We treat lead-gen partners the same way we treat Google: cost per install booked is the only number that matters; the rest is noise.
Principle 03
STC rebate cycles distort attribution
STC values change. State rebates (Solar for Rentals, Solar Homes Victoria, NSW Empowering Homes, the federal Cheaper Home Batteries program) come and go. Conversion windows extend when customers wait for rebate updates. The measurement layer has to handle 60-to-90-day attribution windows and seasonal demand spikes that aren't real demand.
Principle 04
Residential and commercial are different funnels
Residential 6 to 13kW jobs and commercial 30kW-plus systems have different deal sizes, different sales cycles, and different acquisition costs. Mixing them on one campaign produces a CAC that looks fine in aggregate and is wrong for both. We segment them.
Deliverables
What an engagement actually delivers.
01
Install-booked conversion tracking: enquiry, site visit booked, quote sent, deposit paid, install scheduled, and install completed events all unified through the measurement layer.
02
Solar CRM and design-software connection (OpenSolar, SolarPlus, GreenLancer, HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive) with offline conversion uploads to Google Ads and Meta on the install-scheduled event.
03
Lead-gen partner audit: cost per install booked from SolarQuotes vs GreenMatch vs Energy Matters vs Choice vs Google Ads vs Meta, with monthly reconciliation. Cull the partners that don't clear margin.
04
Residential vs commercial funnel separation: different campaigns, different conversion events, different reporting tracks.
05
STC-cycle-aware reporting: separate the seasonal STC-rush demand from genuine acquisition lift so you don't scale spend on a tax-time spike that won't repeat.
06
Call tracking with residential-or-commercial capture so the office admin tags the call type at intake. Conversion data flows back to the ad platforms.
07
Reporting layer in Looker Studio that ties marketing spend to installs booked (with a 60-to-90-day lag) and reconciles to the CRM monthly.
08
Day-to-day Google Ads and Meta media run by our senior operators against the rebuilt measurement, plus active management of lead-gen-partner spend. We optimise on installs booked, not leads delivered. After handover, the operations manager operates the documented playbook.
Who this is for
- Australian solar installer or EPC firm doing residential and / or commercial installs
- Spending at least $8,000 a month on Google Ads, Meta, or third-party lead-gen partners (SolarQuotes, GreenMatch, etc.)
- Solar CRM or design software in place (OpenSolar, SolarPlus, GreenLancer, HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive)
- Office admin or sales coordinator who can capture residential-or-commercial intent at point of enquiry
- Owner who wants the work explained and the playbook handed back to operations
Who it isn't
- Reseller buying installs from a wholesale installer (the engagement won't fix a reseller margin problem)
- Pre-revenue installer still proving accreditation (Clean Energy Council CEC) and SAA certification
- Looking for a managed-service Google Ads account run for you (this is consulting, not done-for-you)
- Want a permanent retainer with no defined end-date
- Unwilling to update intake processes to capture residential-or-commercial intent at point of call
How we work with solar installers
Fixed-scope engagements. Scoped to owner-operator and EPC installers.
Three engagement shapes that match where most $1M to $10M solar businesses actually are. Each ends with a documented handover the operations manager runs afterwards. We scope and price the engagement on the audit call, once we have seen your numbers.
Tier 01 · Diagnostic
Solar Tracking Audit
Two weeks. Read-only diagnostic across Google Ads, Meta, lead-gen partners, the solar CRM, and the intake call flow. Written report with a prioritised fix list, lead-gen-partner cost-per-install benchmark, and a 60-minute walk-through.
Tier 02 · Build
Solar Profit Setup
Four to six weeks. Full measurement rebuild: solar CRM connection, offline conversion uploads on a 60-to-90-day install-scheduled window, lead-gen-partner audit, residential / commercial funnel separation, call tracking, and a Looker Studio reporting layer that reports installs booked by source. Documented handover.
Tier 03 · Optional
Solar Quarterly Review
90-minute quarterly check-in. We review the installs-by-source report, flag drift, recalibrate STC-cycle expectations, and write up the three fixes that will move the most installs this quarter. Cancel anytime.
Larger EPC firms ($10M+ revenue, multi-state operations, mixed residential and commercial portfolios) typically warrant the full PROFIT framework engagement. We will flag this on the audit call.
Where to go next
Related work and the cities we run it from.
Related services
Google Ads consultancy →
Solar has the highest-CPC paid search market in Australia. Architecture matters.
Lead generation →
Audit lead-gen-partner economics and rebuild the inbound machine.
Tracking audit →
Diagnose where install-attribution is leaking through STC cycles.
Conversion rate optimisation →
Lift quote-to-install conversion rates without paying for more leads.
Cities we work with solar installers in
Run your numbers
Proof, with the working shown
We'd rather show you the maths than the buzzwords.
“Profit Geeks rebuilt our whole sales engine, and not just the ad accounts. They went after the systems sitting behind them too. Sales are up 140% and we've pushed past $25M. Honestly the bit I didn't see coming was the operation running leaner than it did back when we were half the size.”
“We were quietly bleeding about a thousand dollars a week and had no idea why. They found the leaks, sorted out the measurement and the offer, and now we'll do more than $10K in a single day. Same product. Completely different business.”
“We went from scraping together two installs a week to running four crews and fifteen-plus jobs a week, north of $10M turnover. The clever bit was they tied the scaling to what we could actually deliver, so growth never broke the operation. Booked jobs, not vanity leads.”
“After iOS, our Meta numbers stopped matching the bank, and we'd basically been writing the gap off as “just tracking.” Profit Geeks rebuilt our measurement server-side and reconciled it straight back to the P&L. Turned out about $1.42M of ad spend in year one had been working all along. They're the first team that showed me the maths instead of a dashboard.”
“We didn’t spend a dollar more on ads. What they did was fix how we counted a booked job versus a platform “conversion,” cut the wasted spend, and by week twelve our blended ROAS had more than tripled. Revenue went from $4.8M to $9.1M. Same senior bloke on every call too. No juniors, no relay race.”
Reasonable questions
What you're probably thinking.
01
We've been burned by an agency before.
Most of our intake has. The difference is structural. A senior operator runs your account, not a junior hidden behind a dashboard, and you leave the first call with written findings you own even if we never work together. No relay race, no account manager translating between you and the people doing the work.
02
How do I know it'll actually work for my business?
You don't yet, and neither do we until we've seen your numbers. That's why the first step is a diagnostic, not a contract. We've documented this in DTC and home services (the case studies show the full working) and run the same playbook in professional services. If the maths isn't there for you, we'll tell you on the call.
03
What if there's nothing worth fixing?
Then you've spent thirty minutes and walked away with a second opinion that cost you nothing. We'd rather say no than take on an engagement we can't earn, so we turn away intake that isn't a fit. There's no pitch and no follow-up sales sequence.
04
What does it cost, and what am I signing up for?
One quarterly engagement fee. No per-channel markup, no retainer fluff. The same senior operators handle measurement, media and margin, and scaling is tied to your contribution margin, so spend only climbs when the numbers say it's working. The call is where we scope what that looks like for you.
Frequently asked
Eight questions about marketing for solar installers.
How is solar marketing different from regular paid-acquisition work?
Paid clicks are the most expensive in Australia. Lead-gen partners produce 30 to 60 percent of leads but their cost-per-install varies wildly by partner. STC and state-rebate cycles distort demand on a 60-to-90-day cycle. And residential and commercial installs have different sales cycles, deal sizes, and CACs. The measurement work has to factor all of it.
What's the best paid channel for solar installers?
High-intent Google search ('solar quotes {suburb}', 'best solar installer {city}') is usually the highest-quality channel and the most expensive. Meta works for retargeting and education campaigns. Lead-gen partners (SolarQuotes, GreenMatch, Energy Matters, Choice) produce volume but require careful cost-per-install scrutiny. The optimal mix shifts seasonally with STC cycles; we model it together on the call.
Do you work with the major solar lead-gen partners?
We don't run their accounts; we audit their economics. The Profit Setup engagement scores SolarQuotes, GreenMatch, Energy Matters, Choice, and any other lead-gen partners against installs booked, not leads delivered. Most installers we audit are over-paying for partners whose conversion-to-install rate has drifted below break-even. Some are under-paying partners whose quality is genuinely better.
What CRMs and design software do you work with?
OpenSolar, SolarPlus, GreenLancer, HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive are routine. If your business is on something less common (Aurora Solar, Solargraf, Australian-specific tools), we'll confirm on the audit call whether a direct connection is feasible or whether a Zapier middle layer is required.
How do STC and state rebate changes affect the work?
STC values decline annually until 2030; state rebates appear and disappear; new federal programs (Cheaper Home Batteries, etc.) reshape demand on three-month cycles. The measurement layer has to factor seasonal demand against marketing-driven acquisition lift. The Profit Setup engagement includes the seasonality model so you don't scale paid spend on a rebate-cycle spike that won't repeat.
Do you handle Clean Energy Council CEC accreditation marketing or compliance?
We architect the measurement; CEC accreditation, SAA-listed product compliance, and consumer-protection compliance stay with your business and your existing compliance partners. The measurement work doesn't conflict with the rules.
How much should our solar business be spending on digital marketing?
Rough heuristic: established residential installers spend 6 to 12 percent of revenue on marketing, with 70 to 90 percent going to digital and lead-gen partners. A $3M solar business is spending $180K to $360K a year, $130K to $325K on digital. Commercial-led installers typically run lower (longer sales cycles, more referral); pure residential typically runs higher.
How much does this cost?
We don't publish a rate card. Engagements are fixed-scope and quoted in a written proposal after the audit call, once we've seen your numbers. There are three engagement shapes for installers (the two-week Solar Tracking Audit, the four-to-six-week Solar Profit Setup, and an optional quarterly review), and we tell you on the call which one fits and what it costs.
Further reading
What happens after you book
Three steps. No mystery.
Step 01 · Within 48 hours
30-minute audit call
A senior operator on the call. We look at your real numbers, spend, revenue, attribution gap, and tell you on the call which engagement (if any) is the right fit. No pitch deck.
Step 02 · Within 1 week
Written proposal
Fixed scope, fixed number, written up. The proposal names deliverables, timeline, the people involved, and the price. No hourly billing, no retainer drift.
Step 03 · Within 2 weeks
Engagement starts
Senior operators on day one. Measurement rebuild begins, day-to-day media gets reassigned to our team, and the first set of working sessions lands. Inside two weeks of the audit call.
Next step
Built for owner-operator and EPC installers. Measurement that finally reports installs.
If your solar business is paying $70 a click and lead-gen partners are charging premium per lead but the installs aren't landing at the rate the dashboards suggest, the next step is a 30-minute audit call. Bring a month of marketing spend (Google, Meta, all lead-gen partners), a residential-vs-commercial install breakdown, and the CRM you use. We will tell you on the call which engagement (or none) is the right fit.